Airbnb on TV: The Best Episodes of "Stay Here" on Netflix
BY MIKEL HUBBARD
FORMER HGTV PRODUCER | CO-FOUNDER, THE HOST CO |
OWNER, TIMES EIGHT PROPERTY & DESIGN
“Stay Here” on Netflix has been out for a while, but seemingly has popped back up in Netflix queues as trending again. Hopefully, that means there’s going to be a season two. If not, we’ll just talk about favorite moments on the show… and by all things favorite we mean Genevieve Gorder. Scroll up! Are you seeing this guest house in Austin she painted a hipster mural on the front of?? DYING. SOOOO. GOOOOD.
THE CONCEPT
To catch up those who haven’t seen it, Genevieve Gorder (of Trading Spaces and HGTV) and Peter Lorimer (successful LA real estate agent) help struggling Airbnb owners redo their properties to set their business up for success. Who pays for the remodel? Who knows! We certainly don’t. It’s just nice to see a home show that caters to the millions of Airbnb hosts who are trying to figure this out too.
The other thing this show has done is remind us how much we love Genevieve Gorder, who rose to fame on Trading Spaces in the early 2000s. The good news is she hasn’t lost the warmth that made her popular then - and her designs are better than ever now.
Here’s what we loved most this season on Stay Here:
THAT CARRIAGE HOUSE IN HUDSON VALLEY
The downstairs part of this carriage house looked like… the late 80s, so we were definitely skeptical that something great could be done with it. Genevieve proved us so wrong. She managed to reuse old materials like a barn door dining table and make it feel vintage, but in a modern way. When you have to do design quickly for TV it’s so much easier to just buy a bunch of stuff on the internet, so to take the time to collect salvage pieces on a TV timeframe is beyond. We salute you.
PALM SPRINGS KITCHEN
When we started watching the Palm Springs episode, we have to admit we were a little disappointed. The house was perfect as-is, like a beautiful time capsule. We felt like Genevieve wasn’t going to get the opportunity to shine. But of course she did. The kitchen transformation was a showstopper that really tied in with the overall feel of the home. Is there anything this woman can’t do?
THE DC FIREHOUSE
The DC firehouse was a bit of a mess, with a bunch of random rooms. It certainly seemed like more than you can tackle on a 60 minute makeover show. NOPE! Genevieve made it all about the windows, convincing the owner to open up the front part of the home to his guests and now he has something that commands a minimum of $700/night. We’re not sure what awards interior designers earn for brilliance, but she definitely deserved one for this.
THE SEATTLE HOUSEBOAT
To be honest, we rarely have a hankering to stay on a houseboat… but then Genevieve changed our minds. Who knew they could be so chic and bohemian? Yes, this design style of this makeover is trending, but we’ve found that most makeover shows ignore design trends in favor of big box style. Whoever trusted her to just do her thang, please keep letting her! It’s so nice to see a TV designer make things people adore!
WINE COUNTRY WEDDING ESTATE
We think the wine country estate Genevieve made wedding-worthy was our favorite of the season. Maybe it was the sweet older couple who were so grateful, lovely and deserving. Maybe it was the super unique outdoor touches like the metal farmhouse wine sink, or maybe it was the enchanting interiors that melded so well with the magical landscape. What we do know is this episode made us feel warm and fuzzy - the best example of this show being its best and why we can’t wait for a second season.
What were your favorite moments from season one of Stay Here? We’re definitely interested to hear and compare and gush together!